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Kenneally Hits 1,000 Career Wins With Victory At Ellis Park

Some of the toughest victories to knock out seem to come during a countdown to a landmark. And when trainer Eddie Kenneally earned his 1,000th career victory Saturday at the RUNHAPPY Meet at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., his 3-year-old He's Pretty Lucky kept the outcome in suspense until right before the wire.

With jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. wearing Kenneally's navy silks emblazoned with a beige K, the newly gelded He's Pretty Lucky pressed front-running favorite Futuro before dispatching that rival late in the stretch. Just when Kenneally's milestone seemed in the bag, Stone Slinger loomed on the outside and appeared poised to go past before coming up a head short in the off-the-turn mile $10,000 maiden-claiming race. It was He's Pretty Lucky's second race for the ownership partnership of Kenneally and Shaun McCarthy.

“Let me tell you, they'll all hard to win,” Kenneally said after the winner's circle presentation. “We were hoping to knock it out at Churchill, because that's our home track. But we're delighted to get it done here at Ellis Park. We finally got over the milestone. It took a long time. I've been doing this a long time.

“We've been fortunate. We've had some very good horses over the years. We've had some very good people work for us. Not just now, but in the past we've had a lot of good people come through. You can't do it on your own. You need the help, you need the horses. It's got to be set up. Thankfully we've had a very good career.”

The Irish-born Kenneally's first full year of training was 1994. His 35 graded-stakes victories include Grade 1 wins with Kelly's Landing (Dubai Golden Shaheen), Bradester (Stephen Foster), Bushfire (Ashland, Acorn, Mother Goose), Sailor's Valentine (Ashland), and Abscond (Natalma).

Kenneally's horses have earned more than $42 million in purses.

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Speightstown ‘Rising Star’ Remains Unbeaten at Ellis

2nd-Ellis, $52,460, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($40,000), 7-10, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 1:16.18, gd, 4 1/2 lengths.
CARRIBEAN CAPER (f, 3, Speightstown–Checkupfromzneckup {SP, $187,470}, by Dixie Union) continued to justify the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction with her third win from as many starts Saturday. An eight-length romper at Fair Grounds Feb. 13, good for an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, the dark bay took a Keeneland optional claimer by 4 1/2 lengths going seven panels Apr. 2 and was pounded down to 1-5 off the brief freshening here. She was off a half-step slowly and then shuffled back further to trail her four foes before rushing up into third down the backside. Carribean Caper ranged up three deep ominously after a :44.90 half, and outclassed her competition from there to cruise home 4 1/2 lengths to the good. Queen Bridget (Verrazano) edged Recoded (Honor Code) for second. The winner's now 2-year-old half-sister Bombdiggity (Into Mischief) was a $600,000 Keeneland September purchase. Checkupfromzneckup has a yearling filly by Tapit and a Quality Road foal colt. For more, see Impressive Maiden Winners Begin to Take 'Charge' in Stall Barn. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $116,920. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-Columbine Stable LLC.; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Albert M. Stall, Jr.

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She’sonthewarpath Holds Off Dominga To Take Ellis Park Turf

She'sonthewarpath was. And the result was a neck victory over favored Dominga in Sunday's $75,000 Ellis Park Turf at the RUNHAPPY Meet at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky.

Trainer by Steve Margolis for Robert and Lawana Low, She'sonthewarpath closed from mid-pack to win three stakes last year. However, facing a field devoid of natural front-runners in the field of six fillies and mares, jockey Adam Beschizza didn't wait on anyone else to do the dirty work for She'sonthewarpath.

Beschizza sent the 5-year-old mare to the initial lead out of the gate from her outside post, before letting her settle just off of the Brad Cox-trained Dominga, who broke on the rail under Shaun Bridgmohan.

Dominga loped through a crawling early pace, but Beschizza kept She'sonthewarpath within pouncing position and went after the favorite heading into the far turn.

“I told Adam, 'Bridgmohan is on a nice filly for Brad. Just don't let her steal it. Keep her in your sights,'” Margolis said. “You let a horse like that get loose, it's going to be tough to catch her.”

Rounding into the stretch, She'sonthewarpath wrested a narrow lead in a bunched-up field and had a length advantage with an eighth of a mile to go. Dominga wasn't finished and tried to come back on the rail only to fall a couple of feet short.

“We know she's pretty fast,” Beschizza said. “She ran at 5 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs this year, so we know she's got speed. We know she can rate. She's probably one of those that can turn it off and turn it on. You just have to be a little bit more aggressive with her out of the gate. She seemed to get a nice perch going around there. We know she's got the ability and the engine, and that turn of gear.

“We were in prime position, and as soon as I pulled the trigger, she delivered. She's got that turn of gear that can sort of put horses into shock mode as soon as we turn into the stretch. We took Brad Cox's horse in there seriously. We knew she was going to go to the lead. The field size was small and sometimes when they get an easy ride on the front end, it can get a bit tactical. It doesn't usually go to plan like that. But super-pleased for Steve. He's done a great job with her, and she's a real barn favorite.”

It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to the late-running Pass the Plate, followed by Sister Hanan, High Regard, and Nope. Enjoyitwhilewecan and Alnassem were scratched.

“I got to the spot where I needed to be, and she was comfortable,” Bridgmohan said. “She was game, though. She tried to come back on the other horse. She tried hard.”

Said Paul McGee, trainer of Pass the Plate: “They got away with slow early fractions, so it's hard to close into that. She ran a good race.”

She'sonthewarpath, a daughter of Declaration of War, completed the mile over firm turf in 1:44.07, the last sixteenth-mile going in :05.84 seconds as she picked up the pace throughout. The fractions were :25.43, :50.65, 1:15.65, and 1:38.23.

The bay mare now is 7-2-3 in 18 starts, earning $432,820 for the Lows, who are also her breeders.

In her last start, Beschizza backed out of a potential jam early on and She'sonthewarpath closed to be third in a tough field for Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Mint Julep.

“I probably wasn't aggressive enough as I should have been, getting a position,” he said. “She rated on me going into the first turn and got a little bump. It just took her off of her game. She came with a flying run at the end. She's all heart. But we got her day today.”

She'sonthewarpath ran in last year's $100,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf, showing speed that day and finishing second. Margolis said that stakes is a logical objective, with the ultimate goal being the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf at Kentucky Downs.

“The Lows are great,” Margolis said. “They always do right by the horses they give me. She's a hard-knocker who always tries. Just grateful to have her. When you have a mare like her, a horse who always tries, you know they're going to always fire. You just hope everything goes right. She's such a classy mare. You ask her to go, like Adam says, she gives you everything she's got.”

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Apprentice Andrea Gonzalez Wins First Start At Ellis Park

Andrea Rodriguez had never even been to Ellis Park before, let alone ridden in a race. But the 23-year-old apprentice jockey wasted no time locating the winner's circle.

Rodriguez rode 11-1 shot Artie's Lady to a head victory over 14-1 Midnight Lewis in Saturday's second race for $16,000 claimers in her only mount on the card.

Artie's Lady paid $24.80 to win in taking his second start in a row, with Rodriguez guiding owner-trainer Mark Schwarm's 3-year-old colt to a nose victory May 27 in a $16,000 maiden-claiming race at Indiana Grand.

It's not surprising that Puerto Rico's famed jockey school has produced a promising jockey. Some of the best jockeys in the world — think brothers Irad and Jose Ortiz who are so dominant today, Hall of Famer John Velazquez and the iconic Angel Cordero – are products of Escuela Vocacional Hipica Agustin Mercado Revero. What remains relatively rare are Hispanic female riders. Rodriguez said she was one of two women in her class of 16, though she said the numbers are starting to pick up. They can look to Puerto Rico product Carol Cedeno, who owns six riding titles at Delaware Park, for inspiration.

“We're trying, we're trying,” Rodriguez said with a laugh, referencing Puerto Rican girls who aspire to be jockeys. “Since I was a little kid, I loved horses. My father's family is involved in the horse-racing industry, so I guess I got it.”

Rodriguez started riding in 2019 at Puerto Rico's Hipódromo Camarero before moving on to Tampa and Monmouth Park, finishing the year with two wins out of 47 mounts. Deciding she needed more experience, she began working as an exercise rider for Kentucky-based trainer Ian Wilkes. Rodriguez resumed riding races full-time at Turfway Park, where she struggled but says she learned a lot.

“I knew I needed more time, I needed to learn more,” she said. “So I kept galloping. So when I thought I was ready — and Ian Wilkes thought I was ready – he sent me to the races. I had not a great meet at Turfway, but I learned a lot. When I started at Indiana, I've been doing very good, thanks to that.”

Rodriguez has 12 wins, with five seconds and nine thirds, out of 82 mounts at Indiana Grand, and 15 career victories overall. Her mounts currently get to carry seven pounds fewer than otherwise stipulated in the race conditions, with such apprentice allowances offered to encourage trainers to use inexperienced jockeys. For instance: as a 3-year-old ridden by a seven-pound apprentice, Artie's Lady carried 111 pounds to 122 for Midnight Lewis, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, winner of 4,178 races.

“She's done great,” Schwarm said. “She's rode him twice for me and won both races. I think she has a lot of feel for a horse. She can feel what the horse needs from her, and she doesn't give any more or any less. It seems to be working.”

Rodriguez said Artie's Lady loves to fight.

“He loves to be head-to-head with another horse. So when I saw the No. 2 (Midnight Lewis) coming, I said, 'This is mine.' Because he will fight for it,” she said. “… I can't describe it. It's so amazing, especially when you know the horse you're on and you have that connection with him. I just love being on horses.”

Rodriguez hopes to start riding regularly at Ellis Park (which races Friday-Sunday) in addition to Indiana (which runs Monday-Thursday).

“This is my first mount here, and I got a winner,” she said. “So I hope I get many more mounts here.”

What does she think of Ellis Park?

“I love it!” she said. “I got a winner the first time, so I love it so far.”

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